Messi's next club: place your bets!

Who will Messi join?


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Schmeichel=God

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Think he will stay, but if he goes then mad respect for him to take such a risk at this stage in his career, if it goes really badly then it will be a blot on an otherwise almost perfect career.
Scan read ahead and thought your shout was Bolton.

Now that would be something.

Add him to the star Wanderer's signings of Okocha, Campo, and the great Jussi Juskahoweveryouspellit.
 

Berbasbullet

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Scan read ahead and thought your shout was Bolton.

Now that would be something.

Add him to the star Wanderer's signings of Okocha, Campo, and the great Jussi Juskahoweveryouspellit.
Messi with Jay Jay would have been wonderful, also him being managed by big Sam. :lol:
 

Fanatic 00237

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I don't think it's unreasonable to question the status of City (and PSG) as possible destinations for one of (if not THE) greatest players of all time who has still got a few years in him before the decline. It would be more understandable if he went to one of the genuinely big clubs in terms of stature, the likes of Bayern, Juve or even Liverpool (spit), and not some billionnaire "project". Even Ronaldo has always been wise in choosing his destinations.

I found this article on Eurosport quite interesting https://www.eurosport.com/football/...ola-at-manchester-city_sto7851677/story.shtml

It was Pep Guardiola who transformed him from a precocious young talent into arguably the best player the game has ever seen, and a reunion of that partnership is mouth-watering.

That Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, the two executives at the heart of the treble-winning Barca team of 2009 coached by Guardiola and starring Messi, are also at City offers an enticing reunion at boardroom level, managerial level and on the pitch of the key elements of one of the best teams ever seen.

Having beaten UEFA in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, they will feel sufficiently emboldened to provide him with an extraordinary pay package and there can be no doubt that Messi would help City close the enormous gap that opened up between them and Liverpool last term.

Furthermore, City and Messi are united by a shared goal: to win the Champions League. For City's Emirati owners, it would be the ultimate vindication of their colossal investment to claim the biggest prize in club football.

For Messi, he has not been crowned a European champion since 2015. He has won it four times, one time fewer than his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo. It is Barcelona's slide away from contention that has prompted his desire to leave Camp Nou.

But it is in the Champions League that you begin to see the colossal mismatch between the status of Manchester City and the status of Lionel Messi.

When City made their debut in the competition in 2011, Messi was the defending champion for the third time in his career. Since then, City have played 79 matches in the competition, just over half of Messi's personal tally of 143.

Messi has 115 goals in the competition, a figure which dwarves the 94 scored by City's top six scorers in the competition combined, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Kevin De Bruyne.

And only once in Barca's long wait for another European title have City actually outperformed the Catalans, as long ago as 2015-16. This is the crucial issue of City being a problematic destination for Messi if he wants greater success.

Since he left Barcelona, Pep Guardiola's record in Europe has been sadly lacking and that is simply his own fault.

He inherited an impeccably dominant Bayern Munich side who were defending champions in the competition and were looking to build a dynasty, but never got further than the semi-finals, receiving some humiliating defeats on the way as tactical gambles failed.

At City this pattern has continued. Guardiola has not been eliminated by Europe's finest year after year, but by teams such as Tottenham, Lyon and Monaco who they should have been putting away. Again, the blame lies with Guardiola, who has unnecessarily tinkered time and time again.

A move to City would therefore far from offer Messi the guarantee of European success he craves. But beyond the sporting level, it would be a shame to see such a great player represent a club with so little pedigree.

This would not be a story of underdogs, similar to the one which saw Maradona leave Barca for Napoli and turn them into Italy champions. City are a club built entirely on money; money from one of the most despotic regimes on the planet as their owners attempt to legitimise the Abu Dhabi royal family through sport.

And it would be a crying shame to see such a great player used in a sportswashing project.
 

Daysleeper

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I don't think it's unreasonable to question the status of City (and PSG) as possible destinations for one of (if not THE) greatest players of all time who has still got a few years in him before the decline. It would be more understandable if he went to one of the genuinely big clubs in terms of stature, the likes of Bayern, Juve or even Liverpool (spit), and not some billionnaire "project". Even Ronaldo has always been wise in choosing his destinations.

I found this article on Eurosport quite interesting https://www.eurosport.com/football/...ola-at-manchester-city_sto7851677/story.shtml

Ronaldo choosing Juventus has been anything but wise. It’s a poor choice as their board is also quite poor. He won’t be winning CL anytime soon and would’ve had a much better chance had he stayed with Madrid.
 
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Ronaldo choosing Juventus has been anything but wise. It’s a poor choice as their board is also quite poor. He won’t be winning CL anytime soon and would’ve had a much better chance had he stayed with Madrid.
He’s won it 5 times already in fairness. Juve was a new league and something different, was a great move in my opinion.
 

Speedy30

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No chance he comes to Liverpool. The wages would be astronomical and we refused to meet Werner's valuation and wages with the current climate.
Unfortunately I think he'll end up at City for some unknown ££££ reason.
I suppose we'll get to see how he copes on a wet windy night in the Premier League although it's a shame he can't pit his wits against Stoke.
 

Fanatic 00237

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Ronaldo choosing Juventus has been anything but wise. It’s a poor choice as their board is also quite poor. He won’t be winning CL anytime soon and would’ve had a much better chance had he stayed with Madrid.
That's a different point though. The board at City are good, if you're comparing boards and by that metric Messi would be right to leave Barça for City. However, Ronaldo has always gone for genuine huge clubs, despite the continuous wooing from the "billionnaire project" type clubs. For what it's worth, I'm Messi over Ronaldo and I would absolutely hate to see him join the wrong club ("wrong" in my humble opinion, of course).
 

GatoLoco

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Think he will stay, but if he goes then mad respect for him to take such a risk at this stage in his career, if it goes really badly then it will be a blot on an otherwise almost perfect career.
The state his club is in at the moment, he would be actually taking the risk if he decided to stay.
 

ForeverRoma93

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If he is to leave, I reckon he'll go to City...but if that does happen, what are next's season's expectations for City...is the Premier League or Champions League individually on their own enough or would people think they'd have to win both with Messi?
 

Pink Moon

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Went for none of the above as I can see him going to Inter.

Would like for it to be City though to see him with Pep again and be able to watch him every week without taking out yet another subscription service.
 

GatoLoco

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But feeling, Bart leaves and Messi sticks it out for another 2-3years before moving back to Argentina.
No.

Bartomeu cannot leave, because if he leaves all the the directors have to cover the club's economical losses with their own money.
 

GGT

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The wages would be astronomical and we refused to meet Werner's valuation and wages with
you are so wrong, where ever he goes the wages will be cheaper than signing a 20 million player, when spin off earnings are taken into account.

If he went to Fulham, instead of being on the tele 11 times next season, they would be on 35, at a million pound tv fee per match, straight away his wages are nearly paid.
That is without other earners he would get the club. In other words.

I hope he sets himself a target, go to us or City, wins us the league, yes great, but end of day it is mundane for Utd or City to win league.

What if he went to Seville, Everton, Spurs, any team similiar who have never won anything domestically for years what an achievement if he got them a trophy.
 

Strelok

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His wages + bonus probably cost City £70m a year. FFP is purely a joke.
 

redDNA

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I have a bad feeling that him going to city will unsettle them both on the potch and wage wise,he may win the premier league with them,but I think that the would be much worse if he leaves 2-3 years later.
 

Gehrman

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Went for none of the above as I can see him going to Inter.

Would like for it to be City though to see him with Pep again and be able to watch him every week without taking out yet another subscription service.
1 touch passing between him and Lukkaku :drool::drool::drool:
 

Harry190

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I think he'll go to Real Madrid. That is strangely enough, the best solution for all the parties involved.

He can stay in Spain and play for a real club worthy of his status. And La Liga won't feel as desperate. They have tons to lose if he picks another country.

Adidas happy, Messi happy, La Liga happy.

That or he picks United, United happy, Adidas happy, La Liga happy since he doesn't go to an oil club.
 

Sandikan

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I think he'll go to Real Madrid. That is strangely enough, the best solution for all the parties involved.

He can stay in Spain and play for a real club worthy of his status. And La Liga won't feel as desperate. They have tons to lose if he picks another country.

Adidas happy, Messi happy, La Liga happy.

That or he picks United, United happy, Adidas happy, La Liga happy since he doesn't go to an oil club.
He won't go to Madrid.

He can pretend it's all the Barcelona board's fault, and that he had to leave for abroad, but going to their huge rivals? Just :lol:
 

Harry190

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He won't go to Madrid.

He can pretend it's all the Barcelona board's fault, and that he had to leave for abroad, but going to their huge rivals? Just :lol:
There's precedent. Figo, Ronaldo, Laudrup and more.

Historically, it's happened many times.

And he's on a free. They'll find the money for him. Perez will want his Uber Superstar.
 

Forevergiggs1

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The Spanish league have communicated to Messi/Barca that if he wants to leave he will personally have to pay his buy out clause of €700m. Another twist to the plot. Looks like the odds on him staying have just been slashed.
 

King Eric 7

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Half the Caf will be supporting City again towards the end of next season, don't see what the fuss is about.
 

Sandikan

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There's precedent. Figo, Ronaldo, Laudrup and more.

Historically, it's happened many times.

And he's on a free. They'll find the money for him. Perez will want his Uber Superstar.
Some big names there, but still none of them had anywhere near the same legacy. It would be unthinkable.
 

GhastlyHun

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I think he'll go to Real Madrid. That is strangely enough, the best solution for all the parties involved.

He can stay in Spain and play for a real club worthy of his status. And La Liga won't feel as desperate. They have tons to lose if he picks another country.

Adidas happy, Messi happy, La Liga happy.

That or he picks United, United happy, Adidas happy, La Liga happy since he doesn't go to an oil club.
I think some Barca fan would actually try to stab him, if he only so much as pondered the option.
 

Stookie

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It’ll be city. Their European pedigree and history will be deciding factors. Oh and they’re a massive club as well.
 

Withnail

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I think he'll go to Real Madrid. That is strangely enough, the best solution for all the parties involved.

He can stay in Spain and play for a real club worthy of his status. And La Liga won't feel as desperate. They have tons to lose if he picks another country.

Adidas happy, Messi happy, La Liga happy.

That or he picks United, United happy, Adidas happy, La Liga happy since he doesn't go to an oil club.
I really can't see him to going to Real and as for United you're having a laugh :lol:

It'll he a reunion with Pep or Neymar if he goes anywhere. His wage demands are ridiculous and I think only PSG/City will stretch that far.
 

Harry190

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I think some Barca fan would actually try to stab him, if he only so much as pondered the option.
Tebas will personally go commando on him if he goes to either City or PSG.


Really don't get the Pep thing. They know each other, that's about it.

The biggest factor would be Txiki Begiristain.
 

SilentStrike

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I voted will stay at Barca but I just saw that the transfer window doesn't close until 7 October.
I that case I'm pretty sure he will get his move somewhere.
 

Revan

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Rumor has it in a couple of papers he's already rang Pep and asked if we're interested.

I find Messi coming to us quite intriguing for a couple of reasons.
He'd be a massive lift for us on the pitch and also a real boost off it. Another step towards us becoming a really big club. But there is a downside too.

Its a bit of a no win for Pep if he does. He comes and wins everything "Pep only wins with Messi" becomes very hard to argue against. If he comes and we fail Pep's career will take a massive beating. It will see a younger player like Mahrez or more likely Bernardo pushed aside.

That said any deal with depend on him having Barca let him go on a free and I just don't see it. I think heads will roll at Barca and Messi will eventually stay.
To be fair, Pep always admitted that he was that successful simply cause he had Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and co. He has been saying this since his Barca says, and lately, reaffirmed this after the defeat vs Lyon. I never understood how people use it against Pep, when he has been admitting and welcoming it all alone.

While Pep has a huge ego (like everyone who is as successful), I do not see him having problems with using Messi to get another UCL (which will be City’s first UCL ever).
 

jasT1981

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Still not convinced he will leave and this is all part of a way to get changes at the club. He did the same in 2008 I believe.

He has too much power and is flexing muscles to get the changes he wants.
 

DarkLord

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I think some Barca fan would actually try to stab him, if he only so much as pondered the option.
I will be genuinely worried for Messi's safety if he goes to Real Madrid. That would be so funny and sad on an infinite level. I was too young to know what exactly went down with the Figo transfer but I still remember the shockwaves around the footballing world and he was branded a traitor. I can't even imagine what Messi had to endure. I think his house would be burnt down. Realistically, I can only see him going to City. If just only another club in La Liga apart from Real and Barca have a sugar daddy owner with the wealth level of PSG/City.